Man jailed for offensive police deaths T-shirt

A man who wore a T-shirt with offensive comments about the murders of PC Fiona Bone and PC Nicola Hughes has been sentenced to eight months in jail.

Barry Thew, 39, of Wolsey Street, Radcliffe, pleaded guilty to a Section 4A Public Order Offence (displaying writing or other visible representation with intention of causing harassment, alarm or distress) at Minshull Street Crown Court. He was given a four-month sentence for the offence, with another four months added for breaching a suspended sentence for cannabis production.

Thew was seen wearing the offensive T-shirt with a hand-written slogan ‘celebrating’ the killing of PCs Bone and Hughes in Radcliffe town centre just hours after the incident occurred in Mottram. He was arrested and taken into custody.

Inspector Bryn Williams, of the Radcliffe neighbourhood policing team, said: “While officers on the ground were just learning of and trying to come to terms with the devastating news that two colleagues had been murdered, Thew thought nothing of going out in public with a T-shirt daubed with appalling hand-written comments on.

“Thankfully the overwhelming response from the public – who have inundated us with messages of support and condolence – prove that Thew is the exception and not the rule and our communities were right behind us at our darkest hour.

“To mock or joke about the tragic events of that morning is morally reprehensible and Thew has rightly been convicted and sentenced for his actions.”

Thew, who has 29 convictions for previous offences, had been an in-patient at a mental health unit and was being prescribed anti-psychotic medicine at the time of the incident, factors which Judge Lakin dismissed in reviewing the case.

However, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell called the judgment “excessive”.